WE ALL NEED TO FEEL PROTECTED
We all need to feel protected one way or another, or simply feel the support of others in life’s difficult moments.
This story tells us about the power of taking care of people and taking care of each other.
That’s why it’s important to belong to a group where we can find these types of friends, like in a healthy church, being part of a house of peace or small group where we have close friends surrounding us when we life is throwing stones at us.
Paul had just gotten brutally stoned and left for dead, but his friends were surrounding him.
What did the friends do in that moment?
I imagine among other things:
1. Provided prayer for Paul and Barnabas.
They prayed rebuking the spirit of death, prayed for his wounds, etc.
2. They provided warmth.
I don’t know if it was cold or not, but the truth is that Paul and Barnabas must have felt the warmth of all those who surrounded them when they were lying on the street.
3. They provided physical touch.
Possibly some of them began to clean their wounds, to shake the dust off from their bodies, to put oil on their skin that was cut by the stones.
4. They picked them up from the ground and took them to a safe place.
I think they had to use their physical strength to help them walk or carry them and then take them to a safe place where they would be cured, so that they could continue their journey to another city.
That is pastoral care, to care for one another.
Think about it:
What group surrounds you?
Have you gone through a difficult situation where you have felt surrounded by your friends?
Do you know of someone who may need you to surround them?
How have others’ prayers for you helped you?